January 2009 is College Awareness Month

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI — www.p20hawaii.org -- GEAR UP Hawaiʻi, a program under Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for Education, is proud to partner with Governor Linda Lingle, the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, University of Hawaiʻi and a number of community organizations to proclaim January as "College Awareness Month." "January is an important month for high school seniors making plans for life after graduation. Seniors should be applying for college, financial aid and scholarships. Younger students should also be exploring their interests and considering their future plans," said Tammi Chun, Hawaiʻi P-20 executive director.

GEAR UP Hawaiʻi will kick off "GEAR UP for College at Pearlridge Center" on Saturday, January 17th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Students and parents are invited to meet college admission and financial aid experts from the University of Hawaiʻi campuses, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Chaminade University, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Pacific Financial Aid Association to get free resources and information on how to prepare and pay for college. There will also be a number of other college prep events happening statewide this month including events at Kauai Community College, Hawaiʻi Community College and in the Hana Community. For more information about these events and others, please visit the GEAR UP website at www.gearup.hawaii.edu. GEAR UP also launched a multi-media campaign featuring Olympian Bryan Clay promoting college and career readiness. In addition, college planning kits were distributed to all public middle schools and high schools to provide materials for schools to conduct college prep activities.

To view the public service announcements featuring Hawaii‘s own Bryan Clay and for more information about college awareness month please visit the GEAR UP Hawaiʻi website at www.gearup.hawaii.edu or call 808-956-3879.

ABOUT GEAR UP HAWAIʻIGEAR UP Hawaiʻi, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a federally funded program with the mission to significantly increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in college. The program provides information, resources and financial assistance for low-income students and those who are in traditionally underrepresented populations. For more information, visit our website at www.gearup.hawaii.edu.

ABOUT HAWAIʻI P-20 PARTNERSHIPS FOR EDUCATIONHawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for education is a statewide partnership led by the Good Beginnings Alliance, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi System that is working to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through higher education so that all students achieve college and career success. Hawaiʻi P-20‘s partners share a sense of urgency about the need to improve Hawaiʻi‘s educational outcomes in an increasingly global economy, and have established a goal of 55% of Hawaiʻi‘s working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025. For more information, visit our website at www.p20hawaii.org.